Tang the almost-orange-flavored drink came out of the NASA manned-space program and the Defense Department’s DARPA can claim at least partial parentage of the Internet.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado has no Tang or Google in its portfolio. True, there are more efficient wind turbines and blades, as well as solar panels, in the market due to NREL research – and some day maybe bio-fuel from switch grass.

Just no Tang. And that’s why nine Congressional Republicans, including Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado, last June, signed a letter urging an end to funding for NREL, saying renewable energy was being oversold.

That sparked a backlash from business and political leaders and a back-down from Lamborn. Why the strong reaction? A study out this week from the University of Colorado’s Leeds School of Business gives the reason or 831 million of them.

The study estimates that total economic benefit to the state at $831 million in 2011 – including $69 million in construction projects, as the lab builds out its campus, and $50 million in operating expenditures. That is up 11 percent from 2010.
One big plus is that in a weak economy NREL expanded its work force 18 percent in the last two years to 2,131 — and with 62 percent of the staff holding master’s degrees or doctorates the average salary package was $93,349 in 2011.

It is, however, the ripple effect that NREL creates that is among its biggest impacts, according to the Leeds study. Many companies – start-ups and majors such as 3M, Dow and GE – have set-up shop locally to work with NREL researchers.

The lab generates more than double the number of indirect jobs as it directly funds, with the study setting total jobs impact of 6,282.

And that is why Colorado Democratic Congressman Ed Perlmutter was quick to jump on Lamborn’s misstep and this week crowed: “Not only does NREL act as a job creator but it is the world’s leading renewable energy research lab. … Promoting renewable energy is good for jobs.”

Comments Off on National Renewable Energy Laboratory: An $831 million boost to Colorado

Emilie Rusch covers retail and commercial real estate for The Post. A Wisconsin native and Mizzou graduate, she moved to Colorado in 2012. Before that, she worked at a small daily newspaper in South Dakota. It's the one with Mount Rushmore.